PSOE deputy, Patricia Hernández, urged the Government of Canarias to clarify the debate on restricting housing purchases by non-residents, aiming to avoid conceptual confusion and potential alignment with far-right positions. The parliamentarian recalled that, while Coalición Canaria has criticized the national priority proposed by some parties, the Government of Canarias itself approved a decree in February that prioritizes residents and requires twelve years of residency to access public housing.
During the appearance of the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Pablo Rodríguez, in the Parliament of Canarias, Hernández warned about the risk of conflating both concepts, which could lead to erroneous conclusions and foster exclusionary discourses. She rejected attributing the housing crisis solely to foreign buyers, arguing that any worker, regardless of nationality, should have the right to acquire a home if they meet the requirements.
“"The minister acknowledged that property sales by non-residents affect the market and contribute to price tension, especially in a scenario of scarcity."
In his speech, Pablo Rodríguez referred to the imbalance between supply and demand and the generalized difficulties in accessing housing. He highlighted that approximately one-third of housing sales in the Canary Islands in recent years have been made by non-resident citizens. The minister clarified that the Executive's proposal does not seek to discriminate based on nationality, but rather to limit purchases when they are not intended for habitual residence, i.e., when they have a speculative use or are linked to holiday rentals or second homes.
Rodríguez emphasized that the Canarian Government has updated a legal report from 2003, now reviewed by a law firm, which concludes that there are «viable legal avenues» to establish limitations, provided they are justified by reasons of general interest, are proportionate, and non-discriminatory. In this regard, Canarias invokes article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows for exceptions for outermost regions.
For its part, a deputy from a far-right political party stated that her group shares the need to act against the massive acquisition of housing by foreign capital and proposed differentiated taxation for non-EU buyers. However, she also questioned whether housing purchases by foreigners and non-residents were straining the real estate market, attributing the problems to land scarcity, slow urban planning licenses, and legal uncertainty. The Minister of Housing emphatically denied the accusation that the Government provides housing to people who arrive in Canarias irregularly.
A deputy from another political party criticized the Executive's lack of concrete measures and accused the Government of «renouncing self-governance,» especially regarding fiscal matters. In her opinion, the autonomous Government has the capacity to take measures such as raising the Property Transfer Tax up to 20% for large holders or, from the municipalities, reinforcing the use of the IBI to discourage speculative practices.
The deputy of Coalición Canaria (CC), David Toledo, who proposed the appearance, focused the debate on the impact of demographic and tourist growth on the residential market and the ability of Canarians to continue living in their territory. He defended the possibility of exploring the limitation of purchases by non-residents, considering that they compete with greater purchasing power for a scarce resource.
